Disclaimer: I own nothing from Avatar the Last Airbender except Qin and other characters I created.
Chapter 17: I Am In Love. Also Hey, Black Snow!
WARNING: ADULT THEMES AND LANGUAGE ABOUND! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!
SPECIFIC WARNINGS: N/A
I hesitantly stared at the guard, who was holding a letter out to me, silent. Suna, hearing the door open, made his way behind me, but paled when he saw the letter.
"What have you done?" hissed Suna.
"Nothing!" I snapped at him quietly. I took the letter from the woman, who bowed and left with nary a word. "What's gotten into you?"
Suna had been pretty … pissed, lately. Everything I did seemed to put him on edge, making him unusually short tempered.
"What has gotten into me? What has gotten into you?! Crossing Uniqol is a sure way to make your life miserable!"
"Who?"
"The Royal Librarian! He has many nobles owing him favors, and you just so happen to be the one to enter his ire?!"
"Look dude, the old pervert had unsavory thoughts, okay? What was I supposed to do, let him?!"
"This wouldn't have happened if I went with you, but now I cannot protect you!"
My face hardened at his words, what little patience I had withering away quickly. "I do not need your protection."
Stepping around him, I entered my room, the door slamming loudly. I snorted in anger, shaking my head before examining the letter. It was made of a delicate paper, a blue wax seal with two circling fish keeping the contents inside. I hesitated, not sure on how to cleanly open the letter without scattering wax particles across my room before I noticed a letter opener on the other side. Carefully pulling it off the back, I slid it behind the flap, a clean stroke separating the wax seal and the paper.
Taking the contents out, I noticed there were two separate pages. The first was a map, a path marked along it to … somewhere I'd never been before. It was located in one of the corners of Agna Qel'a, close to the palace. The second page, however, was a letter addressed to her.
Qin Long Feng
Royal Guest Suite #4
Royal Palace
Miss Qin Long Feng, your presence is requested at the Temple of the Water Spirits, regarding your supposed housing of a Spirit of vengeance. We would very much appreciate your cooperation and your speedy appearance.
Sincerely Yours,
Shika Watertalker, High Priestess
I frowned at the letter, unsure of what to even begin thinking. The fact that they knew about Liana was a bit … disconcerting, considering I never talked about it ever since the Northern Air Temple. All of us kind of … pretended Liana never happened, a thought which I both felt bad about and desperately wished to continue. Perhaps news spread from there …?
Another issue I had with this was that I had no idea what they wanted from me, er, Liana. Both of us? Whatever, the point stands. Did the war have any influence on how they viewed other Spirits? Were they going to hurt us? I hoped not, but … it was best to expect the worst, no? However, there was the possibility of the complete opposite happening. They could welcome us warmly … too warmly, perhaps. The idea that they wanted Liana because she was a powerful Spirit to use as a weapon was also a very real possibility, one that made me very uncomfortable. Oh Spirits, what would Liana even think of this? I sincerely hoped she didn't think I set her up, the poor thing was skittish already. Father would be able to tell her, right?
A knock sounded from my door. Making my way over, I saw Aang standing there, a sheepish look on his face as Katara and Sokka stood nearby.
"Hey Qin, everything alright?" Aang finally asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, I just … was asked to come to the …" I reread the letter. "Temple of the Water Spirits. For some reason."
"I got asked too! We should go together!" Aang instantly grinned happily.
"We're going too." Katara asserted. "Just in case they try anything fishy."
"Four's a score, as they say." Sokka agreed.
"Oh, shush, you only wanted to come because Qin was going."
"That is not true!"
Aang chuckled, but I didn't know what to do. Or feel, either. I opted for the polite route, in any case.
"Thank you. We should go, though. The letter seemed time sensitive." I interrupted the two siblings' argument, sliding past them and following the map that came in my letter. Our way was met with frosty reception, for the most part. I was sure the citizens normally would've flocked to Aang, or spat in my path, had we been separate from each other, but a decidedly middle ground was held when we were together. No need to offend the Avatar. Though, what made them think I wouldn't just tell Aang if something did happen? Not that I would but …
Regardless, our journey to the temple wasn't very long, and we stopped in front of the main entrance, where two guards in ceremonial garb stood, spears crossed and blocking us from entering. The temple wasn't very tall, instead taking up a wide area to make up for the lack of tiers. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't made of ice like most of the buildings I'd seen here but was instead made of what appeared to be clay (or something similar. I wasn't an architect). The entryway was barred by massive, wooden doors, strips of metal running across the door with metal rivets placed along them. The roof, instead of being like the roofs I'd seen here, was layered and overlapping, so that four or five layers were interlocking. The last layers ended flatly, while the layers of tile above had begun to curve upwards, the higher the layer the more they curved. The first and second layers, however, were built to be separate from the last three, though for what purpose besides design I had no idea. Aang and Katara were similarly observing the building, while Sokka had gave it a once-over before appraising the guards.
"Halt. State your business!" The one on the left barked. Aang and I handed him our letters, at which point he nodded to his partner, and they cleared the path. Aang and I managed to enter just fine after they gave our letters back, but when Sokka and Katar tried, their way was once again barred.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?" Katara protested.
"Only those with invitations may enter the temple. Those without may not enter!" the guard on the right shouted. Well, Sokka's and Katara's right. For Aang and I, he was the one on the left.
"C'mon, can't you let them in?" Aang asked.
"Apologies, Avatar Aang, but we may do no such thing." The guard on the left (?) barked.
"We have to go in! We're close friends!" Sokka added in.
"Once again, the answer will remain no!"
"Guys, it's okay." I tried to reassure them. "It's not like something's going to happen with Aang here, right?"
Sokka and Katara looked unsure about that statement but decided to wait outside.
"Fine, we'll stay out here, but …" Sokka pouted.
"If you don't come out by sunset we're busting in!" Katara nodded angrily.
Way to blow the element of surprise Katara. I thought but smiled regardless.
Aang hesitated but followed me into the temple. The inside of the temple, interestingly, was made of ice, though the interior incorporated plenty of other materials. In fact, the temple seemed to be very similar in terms of interior design to the temple that used to be on Avatar Roku's island. A plush, blue carpet with swirling designs paved our way, with small tables and ornaments placed about the hallway. There were many paintings on the walls, inlaid with blue jewels/minerals such as lapis lazuli and sapphires, that displayed both certain events and Spirits. Gold accents lined the walls as well, adding much needed hints of contrast.
Aang and I quietly appreciated the layout of the building before we stopped at what appeared to be a waiting room, complete with short tables and even a receptionist, who seemed to be reading a scroll while simultaneously writing something. Probably some sort of reply.
"Names?" he asked without even looking up. Aang's eyes widened, mouthing me 'How did he know?' I shrugged, but the man answered. "I heard your footsteps. Now, names? I don't have much time you know, a LOT of people like writing here in regards to stupid questions, all of which I unfortunately have to answer." He sighed, pausing for a moment before whispering. "I wanna go home."
I decided to take initiative. "Uh, sorry. My name's Qin Long, and I'm with Aang – Avatar Aang."
"Invitations?"
Aang and I handed our letters, at which point the man finally looked away from the letter he was responding to before scanning ours. He began muttering up a storm, most of which Aang and I didn't catch. Something about not stating exact times? Eh, not sure, and I guess Aang felt like just I did, because he looked just as confused.
"Sit down, I'll call you two up when the High Priestess calls for you." he waved in the direction of very expensive-looking plush couches, also done in a blue and gold color scheme.
As Aang and I sat, we gave each other hesitant glances, not sure if we were allowed to talk. So we sat in awkward silence for what felt like forever, observing the room in greater detail, which unfortunately didn't reveal much. A few couches and chairs, tables, and even a plant or two, though they were blue, not green.
I wonder why they're blue. Is that a hint that they're resistant to cold?
Finally, we heard some sort of swoosh and thunk from the side of the receptionist, who opened a tube and read the message. Humming, he wrote something in reply before placing it … somewhere, the swoosh we heard earlier signaled the message being sent away. A few questions popped into my head, but I didn't ask them. Maybe I'd find out how it worked later.
"Avatar Aang and Qin Feng Long, you are to take the hallway to my right and keep heading forward until you come across the door. Knock three times and wait for it to open. Oh, and one more thing." The man looked up, a serious look on his face. "Do not do anything to offend the High Priestess."
Aang and I gulped in unison, nodding our thanks before heading through the hallway that was indicated. The hallway was empty, save for occasional doors heading to other locations, but we didn't err from our path; we weren't risking anything, not at this point. As we approached our door, we heard some sounds beginning to leak from within, causing us to pause.
"Should we go in?" Aang asked in a whisper.
"What if we interrupt something?" I asked back, just as quiet.
Aang took a deep breath, straightened his back, and made himself look as big as possible before nodding.
"Okay. As the Avatar, being a leader is important. That includes accepting all the consequences that come from my actions." He approached the door, placed his hand on the door handle, and looked back to me. "On three. One. Two. Three!"
Aang, instead of quietly opening the door, accidentally slammed it open with all of his strength. Now, Aang might have been a pre-teen, but he was also a master Airbender, who was in peak health and excellent athletic capability. Meaning the door made so much noise it sounded like a cannon went off and broke through the wall, causing the noise (which turned out to be music, of all things) to end with several people shrieking in alarm.
I stared in horror as around twenty or so people were staring at Aang and I, holding a large collection of various music instruments. Aang, realizing his predicament, instantly shot behind me, hands clasped behind his back and whistling.
"It was all Qin's fault!" Aang shouted, nudging me forward.
"Me?! What happened to owning up to the consequences of your actions, Avatar?!" I shrieked.
"Hmm, doesn't ring a bell, sorry!"
And thus began an argument of back and forth between us, the people who were in the room watching us in a mixture of bewilderment and amazement, their heads shooting between us as we bickered. A very loud cough sounded, causing us to pause and remember the receptionist's words. 'Do not do anything to offend the High Priestess'.
We're dead. Aang and I thought instantly as a towering woman strode forward from the center, the others parting before her like a crowd before a Royal Procession. The woman radiated an aura of power and confidence, her dark skin complemented perfectly by the sky blue gown she was wearing, hanging off of her shoulders down to the floor. Her arms, uncovered by any sleeves, had gold bands and bracelets with tiny charms tinkling quietly, while her dark hair flowed gracefully in long, luscious curls towards her back. Her eyes had the severity of icebergs, sparkling coldly in an ethereal fashion. Suddenly, I knew what Gay Panic looked like.
We shrunk as she stopped in front of us, her ruby lips thinned as she stared down at us in discontent.
"What is the meaning of interrupting us, Avatar Aang and Qin Feng Long?" her voice caressed us, making us shiver.
"Please don't kill us!" Aang and I yelped simultaneously.
Something arose in her eyes, her lips beginning to twitch before someone coughed behind the High Priestess. Then another, and another, and as more and more people coughed, they slowly transformed into snickers, then chuckles, and then, someone heralded the beginning of the end when they laughed. The entire room rang with laughter as the woman before us melted seamlessly, her laughter rich and melodious and … sorry Sokka I'm in love. Wait, how much older was she than me? Ah screw it I could wait.
"Kill you?" she asked breathlessly, wiping the corner of her eyes. "My goodness, children, do I look like a barbarian? I am Shira Watertalker, High Priestess of the Spirits of the Northern Water Tribe, and the closest thing we had to the Avatar before you arrived on your fluffy buffalo, Avatar Aang."
Aang and I sighed in relief as we realized that we were not going to be excommunicated.
"We … we-um." I stammered, words refusing to form into coherent sentences. "We came as you requested." Was the only thing I managed to squeak out, Aang nodding vigorously behind me.
"Yes, I see that." Was her response, humor tinging her words. "And I thank you for your speedy arrival, though I'm sure Analat held you for a bit, the silly old man."
"What can we help you all with?" Aang finally found his voice, and now it was I who nodded nervously.
"Well, I had several question I wanted to ask. Several issues I wished to discuss. I was hoping that you two would be able to assist me."
- palms sweaty, knees week, arms are heavy-
"We will do everything we can!" I answered, much more loudly than necessary, I'm sure.
"High Priestess, tell your Spirit to stop it." Someone's voice rang out. "They're already putty in your hands."
The High Priestess pouted rather adorably. "Oh, do I have to?"
"High Priestess, they're children."
"I can wait." She mumbled, before coughing. "Regardless, I must apologize for how you two are feeling."
"Oh, we didn't need a Spirit to feel this way." Aang sighed dreamily.
"Oh no, another one lost." Someone sighed dramatically.
"The Avatar, no less."
"Oh, the travesty."
"Who will save the world now?"
Aang's faced colored in embarrassment as I cackled quietly. It seemed, however, that someone else heard me.
"But what about the girl?"
"Ah, true. She's plenty powerful herself, from what we've heard."
"And now we lost her too."
This time it was Aang's turn to chuckle at my expense, which was not appreciated in the slightest. However, I was the one to start this whole thing, so I couldn't complain without looking like a hypocrite.
The High Priestess clapped twice, silencing the ongoing conversations. "That will be all for today, my friends. Be sure to clean your instruments before putting them back into their cases. I know this is redundant and annoying, but someone keeps forgetting to." She looked pointedly at one of the men, who coughed awkwardly as he felt the gazes of his peers.
When everyone had left the room, the High Priestess motioned us over to the now empty chairs, and we sat down in front of her, turning our chairs to face her.
"I must apologize for the location of our meeting." She began. "I didn't expect such an explosive entrance from you two."
"Well, we weren't either, to be honest." I replied, giving Aang a dirty look. Aang laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, that's my bad." Aang responded, guilty as charged.
"No harm no foul. Perhaps a more formal introduction is required." She paused, straightening her posture. "I am pleased to welcome you two here, to the Temple of the Water Spirits. I am the High Priestess, but you may call me Shira." She winked causing us to turn beet red.
"Um, hello Shira." Aang was the first to be able to speak without turning into a blubbering mess. "My name is Aang, and I'm the Avatar! You can just call me Aang." He held out his hand, to which Shira shook, causing Aang to shudder.
"Hi, I'm Qin." I shyly introduced myself. I also extended my hand for her to shake, and I too shuddered at the silky skin. It felt too good to be true.
"Now, I believe some explanations are in order, yes? First of all, let me clear the confusion of what Spirit my fellow colleague was referring to. All High Priestesses here in the temple are obviously in charge of making sure we pay our due respect to the Spirits; we wouldn't want another incident such as Avatar Kuruk's life, would we? As part of this, I too am obligated to do this, not that I don't want to. In order for this to run smoothly, I, as well as all the High Priestesses ever since Avatar Kuruk, are hosts to certain Spirits so as to make our connections even stronger. The Spirit that chose to bond with me is … a unique character. Her name is Aiyana, and she is the Spirit of Passion."
"Oh!" Aang vocalized for both of us. "So that's why we …" he trailed off, blushing.
"Yes, I'm afraid it's a passive effect of our bond, something that we can't really control. Our sincerest apologies."
"No, that's okay!" I hastily answered, seeing the slight frustration in her eyes. "Really, it's not like it's terrible. I mean, you're beautiful regardless of any Spirit's aura. I feel like Aang and I would've been pretty enamored regardless."
"Yeah! You're the prettiest person we've met!" Aang supported, causing the woman in front of us to flush and bow her head slightly.
"Thank you for your compliments. They truly mean a lot." She sighed, relaxing, before looking back up, a soft smile on her face. "Now, I would like to ask you two to introduce yourselves, if you please. I have a few questions, if you would be so kind to answer them."
"Of course! Uh, I can start?" Aang looked at me, to which I inclined my head.
What followed was Aang's retelling of his life: how he grew up in the Southern Air Temple, how he (rather prematurely) found out he was the Avatar, how he had fled after he learned that he would be separated from his mentor and father figure Monk Gyatso, how he and Appa found themselves in a storm, and how he had trapped himself and Appa in an iceberg when they almost drowned. Then he began telling how he was found by Sokka and Katara, as well as his journey here, to the North Pole.
Shira never interrupted Aang, nodding along and reacting to the tales with smiles, both genuine and bittersweet, frowns, and laughs. She had laughed particularly hard when Aang talked about how Zuko and June were both struck by Nyla the Shirsu's tongue before fleeing. When Aang talked about the massacre at the Northern Air Temple by Liana, however, she looked troubled. To my surprise, there wasn't any contempt or disgust, but genuine concern.
"Yes, little Liana was always … pretty severe when it came to her duties. Of course, I can empathize with her after what she went through in her life, but …"
"Wait, you know Liana?" I asked.
"Not so much know as learned from Aiyana. When I first heard tales of a little Spirit from the Pohuai Stronghold, Aiyana was quick to tell me about the validity of Liana. Perhaps later, we can go over it, but … now, I would like to hear your tale, Qin."
I gulped but agreed. Shira just had this trusting aura around her, and I felt like I could trust her with my story. So I did, beginning how I was from the Fire Nation, and born into a noble family. I told her of my father, of my brothers and mother. How our family fell apart and how I was taken in by Iroh after the incident. Shira looked outright furious, but she kept silent, fuming before it slowly melted away as I told her of my travels with Zuko and Iroh across the world searching for Aang, before finding him in the South Pole. I also intermittently spoke about my inventions and ideas, though refrained from going into too much detail. I wasn't sure if Shira would appreciate me going into a long lecture about weapons meant to kill her kin.
"And yeah. After Jet and the Freedom Fighters, you basically know everything else." I shrugged. "I found out about Liana when Aang was captured at the Pohuai Stronghold, where this letter -" I pulled it out, handing it to Shira to look over. "- was shot near me, and that's how I found out about Liana. Well, technically not at that point. I had to meet her and Father in my dreams several times before he came up with something so I could remember some parts of my meetings with them. Liana only ever became well known at the Northern Air Temple after she … well, defended the people there from the Fire Nation."
Shira hummed, handing me back the letter. "I must say, your Father must have loved you very much to bond you and Liana together. What was his name?"
"My father's name was Shoho Feng."
Shira's eyebrows furrowed slightly before relaxing. "Ah yes, Shoho Feng. I remember his story."
"You do?!" I jumped up in excitement.
"Perhaps another time, dear. I would love to get into it, but I asked you both here regarding a different issue. I hope you do not take offense for my deflection, but we simply don't have the time for it today."
I dropped back into my seat. "No, it's okay. I'm just excited that someone can tell me something about my father."
"Well, his story is rather infamous. Even if I will not be able to, I'm sure many would be willing to tell you."
Many less than you think. I thought traitorously before shaking my head vigorously. I couldn't fault the woman for not indulging me, she probably had a very packed schedule.
"Now, to business. Avatar Aang, I've been having some trouble in regards to several water Spirits who refuse to deescalate my situation. This is what happened; a few weeks ago, a fisherman's boat was caught in a storm, and they lost all sense of direction because of how turbulent and wild it was. Thankfully, they weren't too far off from Agna Qel'a, but they had unfortunately been shoved into a restricted area by the storm. The reason that the restricted area even exists is because it is the sacred location of several water Spirits, who merely asked us not to venture there, because they feared some sort of contamination. The fisherman left as fast as possible when they found out, but unfortunately the water Spirits still noticed, and demanded repayment through tribute as a ways to appease them. I, along with Aiyana and the rest of my colleagues, tried to explain the situation to them, but they refuse to see reason."
Aang rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I'll definitely help. I don't know how much help I'll be though."
"Nonsense, I've heard what you have done for He Bai. The villagers sing nothing but praises for you." Aang blushed profusely at the compliment, mumbling something shyly. She smiled softly before turning to me. "Would I be able to ask you and Liana for your support as well?"
"Ah, well, the thing is that Liana doesn't talk. At least, I've never heard her. She can laugh and make noises, just not talk. I don't know if those Water Sprits would be able to understand her." I answered apologetically.
"Oh, that's perfectly okay. Would you mind coming, just in case?"
"Of course."
And with that, Shira stood up, leading the way as Aang and I followed like lost turtle ducklings. As we entered the lobby, Analat shot up like a firework, his back popping so many times all of us collectively winced.
"High Priestess!" Analat yelped.
"Analat, how many times do we have to go over this?" Shira looked half amused half annoyed, her hands placed on her hips.
"I have no right to refer to you by your first name, High Priestess! You are my superior, after all!"
Shira sighed, rubbing her forehead. "That's it. I give up. We're leaving."
Shira left, grumbling under her breath as Aang and I trailed after her. As we left the building and the rumbling doors closed behind us, the guards up front straightened immediately, saluting with two fingers onto their right brow.
"High Priestess!" they greeted, letting us all pass. As we left, Sokka and Katara ran up.
"Hey guys! You're back!" Katara bounced up to the three of us, Sokka's eyes glued to Shira.
"Yup! Turns out Shira just needs our help with some water Spirits." Aang replied.
"Shira?" Sokka asked, swallowing thickly.
Shira stepped forward. "Hello there. My name is Shira Watertalker, High Priestess, though you two may just call me Shira. You must be Sokka and Katara, yes? Aang and Qin spoke much about the two of you."
Katara and Sokka flushed in unison, bobbing their heads.
"Yeah … that's us." Katara said.
"Pretty …" Sokka mumbled.
Shira smiled gently. "Would you two like to accompany us?"
"Would we?! Of course we would! Where are you guys going?"
"Just outside of Agna Qel'a. There's a small, sacred area we must visit. I trust none of you have seasickness?"
All of us shook our heads, and we waddled after Shira, but stopped frequently due to people recognizing and wanting to speak with Shira. Some were pretty funny to watch as people turned into blushing messes while others seemed to be able to overcome their infatuation and spoke hurriedly, recognizing that Shira had placed to be. Some of the citizens gave me hesitant looks and words, but Shira was steadfast in wishing for my company, to which I was immensely grateful. After some time, we arrived at a corner of one of the canals, where a boat was docked, waiting. A few Waterbenders in the same ritual garb as the guards near the temple were waiting, unblinking and unmoving.
"My personal barge. Everyone, these are my personal Waterbenders: Shun, Taraq, Adna, and Sunni. They don't talk much, unfortunately, but they will always be listening in case of anything." We greeted them, but only Adna gave a small nod to us, the other three already in stances. "To the hidden shrine, please. We have pressing matters there.
"Of course, High Priestess." Shun responded, and as we sat down, the four Waterbenders shot us forward, their movements controlled and practiced, but graceful and synchronous. Our journey was swift, but comfortable. When we approached the massive wall, we once again went through the various cubicles of being raised and lowered before we finally were at sea. We hugged the cliffside at a safe distance, small talk occupying the five of us.
The waters around us were pretty empty of threats, something I was kind of grateful for. Sure, there was the common iceberg or floating chunks of ice, but they posed no danger to us because of the four Waterbenders guiding us through the waves. We began to slow down after twenty or so minutes, turning into a small cove I would have surely missed if I was by myself, which was surprising considering how large the opening was. As we quietly made our way through, the walls narrowed until they abruptly opened up, revealing a large, open area, with a beach made of ice sloping upwards gently.
On the beach stood a small structure, clearly manmade, but I couldn't see much until we approached closer. It appeared to be a miniature house on wooden supports, standing at a meter and a half in height, despite the house itself being about a half meter tall. The house itself was made of wood, surprisingly, and was rather simplistic. A painted cetacean blue roof shone glaringly, the color in great contrast with the surrounding snow and ice. The doors appeared to be shutters with no visible handles, what appeared to be some sort of necklace hanging near the top of the shutters. Four small, golden needles hung, swaying softly from side to side. The walls were painted a soft grey, and from what I could tell, remained the same color all the way around.
As we made our way onto the beach, Shira led us even closer, and I walked around the shrine, curious. There didn't seem to be any more details that I had missed from afar, merely that there seemed to be something inside, considering the flashes of light I gleaned from the small opening situated in the roof.
"Before I ask the Spirits to join us, I must stress a few rules to you all." Shira said seriously, causing the four of us to nod. "You must be very respectful. These Sprits have been here for quite some time, even longer than Agna Qel'a has been standing. Do not comment on their appearance, they can be quite prickly about how they look. And most importantly, do not, under any circumstance, disregard anything they say. They can be quite rude, but their intention is to be left alone, not start any trouble. Qin, if you could please summon Liana. Avatar Aang, step forward."
As Aang stepped forward, I pulled out the letter that had been shot at me so long ago at the Pohuai Stronghold. Uttering the phrase, I felt the ice open up beneath me, and as I fell, my eyes fluttered to a close.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Aang stepped forward, leaning from one foot to the other restlessly as he heard Qin murmur her phrase. A few moments later, he heard a rattling of chains as they shot out of the ground, pulling Liana to the surface. She skipped forward to Aang's location, the chains retracting until they were barely visible. Aang flinched at her presence, but didn't say anything.
So it seems like she can't hide them fully. Aang thought. That's kind of sad.
Shira looked back at the four, giving a curtsy to Liana, who merely dipped her head in greetings, her pinpricks of eyes growing slightly.
"Everyone ready?" Shira asked. Aang, Sokka, and Katara nodded quietly while Liana clapped her hands excitedly. Just as Shira went to knock on the doors of the small shrine, however, Liana sneezed violently, causing Shira to pause for a moment before knocking.
At once, the shutters opened up, and inside sat a pristine blue gemstone, carefully polished so that it was blinding when looked at directly. Shira placed a palm onto the orb, whispering something before removing her hand. The shutters slammed violently, causing an echo to resound within the cove.
"And now, we wait." Shira explained as Liana sneezed again, her mask's grin turning into a slight frown as the yellow eyebrows furrowed, almost as if she was trying to remember something.
For a minute or two, nothing happened. However, the calm waters soon began to become more violent, at first spinning counter-clockwise lazily before picking up speed. It wasn't much sooner until the swirling waters turned into a violent whirlpool, the whole cove rumbling ominously as Liana stepped next to Shira, crouching as she stuck her hand into the water near the shoreline.
Three figures shot out of the whirlpool, the water relaxing instantly as the three Spirits surfaced. Their appearance was rather … startling, if Aang was going to be honest. They were somewhat humanlike in their body structure, their upped bodies toned and built rather muscularly. Their heads were also human like, but that was where the similarities ended. They were bald, their dark skin causing a glare under the sunlight. Their eyes, instead of containing the normal irises and sclera of regular humans, were pitch black, beady, and narrowed in suspicion. From their mouths sprouted canines that reached their chins, razor shard and shining menacingly. Their arms were those of tiger seals, and Aang assumed if he looked at their legs, there would be fins too.
"Shira, you kept us waiting for much to long." The figure up front hissed, the voice masculine but slightly distorted, as if he was speaking underwater. "Where is out tribute?"
"I hoped that I would be able to explain the situation once again, and that you three pardon the poor fisherman." Shira stepped forward slightly, Liana drawing back behind the woman.
"Not this again." The one on the right muttered.
"How may times have we told you, we will not!" the one on the left growled.
"We do not want to go over this again, Watertalker. This is merely a waste of our time, both yours and ours." The one up front spoke, silencing his two muttering companions.
"I have brought the Avatar with me, in hopes that we could reach an agreement." Shira explained, but she sounded rather defeated.
"The Avatar, eh? Step forward."
Aang gulped but did as requested, the three instantly sizing him up with discontent frowns.
"Hello, my name is Aang. I hope we can solve the problem peacefully." Aang introduced himself.
"Doesn't look like much, does he?" Left Spirit murmured.
"Bah, an Airbender too. Much to pacifistic for my tastes." Right Spirit groaned.
"So, you are the Avatar, eh? If I was a Spirit in the Fire Nation, I would have many words for you, boy." Lead Spirit spoke slowly. "As it is, we have so far been untouched by this war, something that we are grateful for. You do know your time to resolve it, however, is dwindling?"
"I know. I'm learning Waterbending, and as soon as I can, I will travel to the Earth Kingdom to learn Earthbending." Aang nodded. "I hope Master Pakku will teach me Firebending."
"A tall order, but one you must complete. But who is the Spirit who hides behind you both, hm?"
Liana announced her presence by another sneeze, her mask now one of distaste before stepping forward and bowing lowly to the three in front of her.
"Respectful." Left Spirit nodded.
"Good. Too many spirits do not know common courtesy." Right Spirit dipped his head, before he too sneezed violently.
The Lead Spirit turned abruptly, narrowing his eyes distastefully. "I am afraid this conversation will have to be postponed … if you survive, that is."
"Huh? How come?" Aang asked.
"If we survive?" Sokka sounded affronted.
"Because there is a massive navy approaching." The Lead Spirit pointed his flipper upwards, and as everyone turned to look, their eyes widened as they saw small, black particles raining down from the sky. "And it appears the navy belongs to your old friends … the Fire Nation."
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Hello everyone, welcome back! Sorry about the delay, writer's block is annoying. Anyways, there goes the Gaang's period of rest, eh? Basically, this small interlude in plot is over, and the Fire Nation approached for the Siege of the North. Not long before the first season ends, which is both exciting and nerve wracking. Can't wait to reintroduce Zuko and Iroh, I've missed them loads.
Anyways, about the chapter. I quite like Shira if I'm going to be honest. Weaving in hints of other stories not covered majorly in the animated series is something I am going to continue to do, mostly because I like them a lot. Rip Avatar Kuruk, your life may have been short, but you tried fixing the problems that Yangchen had unfortunately left behind. The addition of the Watertalker, and the binding of spirits with humans was something I wanted to add for a while, mostly because I kind of just left you guys with no info on how it even works. Shira, thankfully, will do that in the following chapter[s(?)]. Dunno how long I'm going to make the siege.
And one more thing. I can't promise a consistent upload schedule, for this or for Bast's Legacy. Sorry about that, I will try my hardest to do an upload for every two weeks, but this chapter wound up to be like … a bit longer. Just a bit.
Anyways, stay safe out there! – Bananaman out!